New Colts QB Jacoby Brissett on some fans booing Andrew Luck: 'It sucked'
Not all Indianapolis Colts fans booed Andrew Luck as he came off the field Saturday night, not long after news of his retirement broke. But that moment will be remembered for a long time.
And new Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett expressed what many thought of that moment.
"Yeah, it sucked. It’s like, you don’t want to hear that,” Brissett said during his news conference Monday. “Especially a guy like that who’s done as much as he’s done and what he’s been through? Even before I got here and talking to him and hearing those stories, nah."
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Luck said the fans’ reaction to him coming off the field hurt. Brissett said he wanted Luck to be able to handle the news as he wanted, which was scheduled to be at a formal news conference on Sunday. But the news was leaked on Saturday during the Colts’ preseason game, which led to the instant reaction from some of the fans.
Jacoby Brissett shocked by Andrew Luck’s decision
Brissett goes into a tough situation. He takes over for a team that had Super Bowl hopes, but those expectations changed dramatically after Luck’s injury.
“I was shocked,” Brissett said. “Y’all wouldn’t be here if you weren’t shocked either.”
Brissett said he was surprised by his friend’s decision, but he did get advance notice. He and Luck spoke on Friday about Luck’s decision.
“He was like, smiling at the end,” Brissett said. “That’s what helped me gain clarity and an understanding of the situation, seeing him smile. I wish him the best.
“As a friend, you want him to be happy. You want him to be at peace.”
Brissett goes into the spotlight
Brissett isn’t incapable. On the list of NFL backup quarterbacks, he ranked high. We’ll see what he can do as the full-time starter, but Colts coach Frank Reich is confident.
"We are in good hands with Jacoby Brissett as our starting quarterback,” Reich said, via Zak Keefer of The Athletic.
We’ve seen backups take over before and have surprising success. Brissett had some good moments in 2017 when Luck missed the entire season. Now it’s his time, and he can establish himself as the Colts’ quarterback of the future. Not that he needed any more pressure this season.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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